For this episode of the Dusty Jobs Podcast, Donovan meets with Josh Pawley from Vectis Automation at Fabtech. Josh talks about what the difference is between traditional robots and cobots. He also talks about why a company would want to use a cobot and how it can make a more efficient and cleaner work environment.
Narrator: Welcome to the Dusty Jobs podcast from Imperial Systems. Industry knowledge to make your job easier and safer.
Donovan: Hello and welcome to another episode of the Dusty Jobs Podcast. We’re still here at Fabtech and we’re joining us today is Josh Pawley with Vectis Automation.
Josh: Yes sir.
Donovan: They’re one of our neighbors here at Fabtech so they’re in the booth next door and they were kind enough to lend us one of their cobots in our booth. It has been just really cool to see it all week just over there moving around and and working underneath our Air-Port Hood but we want to learn more about you guys. Josh you’re one of the founders, is that right, of the company? So how did you get into this world? This is I mean cobots, robots, everything’s coming down the line. How did you get into the robotics industry to start out?
Josh: Yeah so my career actually started in robotic welding 12 years ago. I was a mechanical engineering student at Colorado State University. Sophomore, walked into a career fair and found this company Wolf Robotics, talked to them, was able to land an internship there and that’s kind of where it all started. So that was in 2011. Did assembly, kind of building the systems first, then applications engineering, project management, was a regional sales manager helping customers solve their problems at that company and then in 2019 some of my colleagues and I we got together and founded Vectis. So the whole idea behind Vectis is making automation easier to use, more accessible for a broader range of manufacturers right?
Donovan: Okay.
Josh: Traditional automation solutions have a lot of hurdles to them right? You know there’s cost, footprint, flexibility, programming time, training time, fixed time and cost. So our whole goal is how can you democratize that right? How can you make it much easier to bring automation to folks where it wasn’t quite accessible before?
Donovan: Well yeah I know we’re seeing that a lot here at the show in general is that you know one of the jokes is that robots don’t get sick, they don’t call off, they tend to keep working. But you guys aren’t a robot, you guys are a cobot right? So maybe there’s some people out there that don’t know what that is. Can you break down with the difference between a cobot and a robot is?
Josh: Absolutely. So a cobot is a robot, it’s just a squishing together of collaborative and robot right?
Donovan: Okay.
Josh: And it’s collaborative in the sense they’re at their six axis arm just like robots have been for decades.
Donovan: Gotcha.
Josh: There are six axis arm but it’s unique in the fact that humans can work along side it. And that’s empowered by the fact that there’s force, torque and power sensing on every axis. So if it runs into you it’ll stop before it hurts you right? And so now you can do away with the caging, you can do away with the light curtains, the door interlocks, all that stuff right? That makes traditional automation a bit more monumental right? And now it’s becoming more, we even call them tools right? The whole idea is how can it be easy to use flexible tools for the welder/fabricator.
Donovan: Well and I can say from sitting here watching your guys piece of equipment all week in comparison to some of the other robots at the show that yours seems to have a real, it’s a real smooth motion. It moves real, real carefully and smooth.
Josh: Approachably is what we like to say.
Donovan: Yeah there you go. That’s a great word.
Josh: It’s approachable right? In the fab shop you’re not scared of it right? When you look at traditional robots that are very heavy and move very fast, they were born for automotive. They were born for doing millions of parts and cars.
Donovan: Yeah and that’s it you see those and they’re like –
Josh: So a third of a second of a cycle time matters. So you’re moving quick. You’re moving fast. The whole thing’s cordoned off because automotive’s aligned right? So yeah absolutely there’s no operators involved right? Whereas on the flip side we’re trying to fill that gap for customers doing 20 parts, 50 parts, 500 parts right? Where I want a more approachable tool versus a high production line robot right?
Donovan: Yeah so if I’m sitting here what would be, tell me some fields, some jobs that your unit is just ideal for like what would that be? Because it’s not, like we’re talking, it’s not automation, it’s not slamming out a hundred parts in 20 minutes or whatever. It’s for what? What would be ideal for you guys?
Josh: It’s a great question, it’s a tough one to answer because we find more and more applications every day and the answer is it’s a very broad range right? You know we’ve got anything from job shops doing batches of 20s, 50s, 500, 5000 right? Those medium volume quantities right? To OEM manufacturers making construction equipment, making mining equipment, making agricultural equipment, making widgets right? We just spoke to someone that’s making garden tools right? Those have to get welded right? We spoke to someone making drinking fountains. Those have to get welded. There’s so many things as y’all know it welded in everyday life that if there’s some level of repetitiveness to them the whole idea is how can we offload the boring arc on time to the cobot leaving the skilled human welders to really focus on the welds that require skill right? And that are tougher for any type of automation to do.
Donovan: Yeah. And probably also helping to eliminate some of the health risks that come along with some of this type of welding. You know some welding is not as bad as others and I’m sure having a cobot in that space to handle something that we don’t want in our own breathing zone is ideal.
Josh: Well and especially when you pair it with like the Air-Port right? Because now you’ve got the ability to one, get the human operator, human welder farther away from the fume exposure right? Then we’ve got the ability to capture that as well right? So you’re absolutely creating a healthier safer shop you know fewer black boogers coming out of the nose at the end of the day right? Which benefits everybody right? And we you know we talk a lot about the skilled labor shortage, the skilled welder shortage. Well it’s not – I don’t know if it’s a job I would pick right away right? Because it is dirty right? So what can we do together to create a safer, healthier work environment as well right? Let’s get those fumes out of there. Let’s get the operator farther away from the fumes. Let’s get the operator using a tool to accomplish those boring tasks.
Donovan: Now you keep calling it a tool and to me personally if someone put that in front of me and said you need to run this it seems a little intimidating to me. But I mean that’s what you guys do you build the software I mean how hard is it for a guy like me who doesn’t have a lot of experience or maybe someone out there who’s thinking about this how hard is it to really learn how to use one of these things?
Josh: Most customers are welding within the first day.
Donovan: Really?
Josh: And even and particularly the ones that have no prior experience with robotics or automation or whatnot. That’s really what we’ve done with the product is lower that technological threshold to be able to start using it right? I kind of make the comparison to you know let’s say you’ve got you got to put nails and studs right or build a roof right? You’ve got two tools at your disposal you got a hammer and you got a root and a nailer right? Both are valuable right? Let’s now make that analogy a you know manual welder and a cobot tool right? There are going to be nails that make sense to be driven with the hammer right? But for one you know when you’re doing the sheeting on the top of the roof why not grab the nailer right? There’s a little you know to a nailer it’s a little intimidating yeah hey with some quick instruction you can get it going pretty quick right? So that’s the whole idea is the boring monotonous repetitive tasks what can you offload to those cobots?
Donovan: But I don’t have to be a computer programmer to run this thing right?
Josh: Correct so yeah so most of our customers it’s a welder, a fabricator, a grinder that that’s programming the cobot right? That was exactly the intent that we made the system for was for folks that are not programmers not CNC operators not engineers to be able to pick it up and use it very quickly.
Donovan: From talking to you before that’s really what you guys your specialty is just your software that allows that to be easy.
Josh: Yeah it’s a software definitely. Tt’s the integration options to accomplish a wide range of applications and then see application expertise you know. We’ve got over two hundred we’ve been doing this together for over 200 years combined experience. Being able to help especially new customers navigate how do I be successful with automation right? That’s the other thing that we really help bring to the table.
Donovan: Yeah so I don’t I don’t have to be an expert in automation because you guys will be the experts and just let me know.
Josh: And our whole mantra is we want to teach our customers how to fish not give them a fish right? Because if you’re taught how to fish you can eat for a lifetime right? So and I think it’s really cool to see as well with you know again the skilled labor shortage technology like this especially when it’s in a cleaner environment with an Air-Port or another Imperial Systems product we’re bringing more folks in the industry because it’s made it’s being made to be more interesting. I get to use technology. I get to work in a cleaner healthier environment right? So I think I think it’s one of the ways that we can one, solve the crisis by increasing productivity but also by bringing more folks into the workforce.
Donovan: Yeah and we found that too it’s a lot of people used to just assume that if you’re gonna be a welder you’re gonna be down down in the dirt in the muck and as things change and people progress shops are getting cleaner and cleaner and cleaner and and things like using cobots and having clean air is I think that’s just where it’s going.
Josh: Yeah I believe so too.We see customers using it as a recruiting tool like, “Hey come work for us because our shop is cleaner. We have cool technology that you can use.” It’s a powerful tool to the next generation.
Donovan: I don’t think it’s going away.
Josh: I agree.
Donovan: I think it’s important for those shops that are out there that are weld shops to figure out who they not just want to buy something from but who they want to partner with in this in this side and that sounds like what you guys are all about it’s not just selling someone a piece of equipment but partnering with them –
Josh: Absolutely
Donovan: – and finding the right solution for them.
Josh: Absolutely we only win when our customers win, right? We’re privately held. We’re not beholden to anybody but our customers and our team members right? So it’s even one of the reasons why we’re able to offer our 30-day money-back guarantee which is nuts in capital equipment right but it’s because we’re doing our due diligence to make sure we’re doing right for our customers the whole way through right.
Donovan: That’s phenomenal. So where are you guys based out of?
Josh: We’re in Colorado, Loveland, about an hour north of Denver.
Donovan: Okay and if anybody out there is interested in seeing more about your equipment or getting more information how would they do that?
Josh: Heck yeah. Great way is our website www.vectisautomation.com. V-E-C-T-I-S. We’re also really active on LinkedIn. There’s a lot of good content. You can see a lot of customer, implementations get some ideas flowing. So LinkedIn you can search for Vectis Automation there and our YouTube channel as well Vectis Automation YouTube channel just see get some ideas flowing on how it might be relevant in your shop.
Donovan: You guys you’re just like us American-made American owned company right?
Josh: Amen. Do it right by customers. Absolutely. I love it.
Donovan: I know it’s a busy show. We all have things going on and I really appreciate you stopping by.
Josh: Thank you. It’s been great to partner in your booth and I love this demo and being able to show – I love the fog machine right it shows exactly how that system is gonna help keep a shop cleaner so we appreciate the partnership.
Donovan: Well it’s great so same with us if you guys are interested in learning more about Imperial you can find us on YouTube, our website, LinkedIn, Facebook, most social media platforms were on there but thanks for listening and until next time stay healthy and stay safe.
Narrator: Thanks for listening to the Dusty Jobs podcast. Breathe better, work safer.
Laser welding is a precision-driven process that offers numerous advantages in various industries. These can range from automotive and aerospace to electronics and medical devices. However, it also comes with potential safety concerns, particularly related to fume and smoke generation and laser light exposure. To protect workers and create a safe work environment, companies use innovative solutions like the Air-Port Fume Exhaust Hood from Imperial Systems to capture fumes from laser welding. Using this hood with other safety measures will reduce exposure to laser radiation.Let’s explore the benefits of using the Air-Port Hood and how it contributes to laser welding safety.
The Importance of Laser Welding Safety
Laser welding involves the use of intense beams of light to melt and fuse materials together with extreme precision. It offers many advantages such as reduced distortion and minimal heat-affected zones. However, laser welding also produces harmful fumes and smoke. These emissions can pose serious health risks to operators. This includes respiratory problems, eye irritation, and long-term health issues if not properly controlled. Laser welding can also emit laser radiation. This light can certainly harm the eyes or skin of bystanders with exposure to certain wavelengths. As a result, it could potentially result in permanent blindness.
Additionally, the interaction between the laser beam and metal surfaces can produce hazardous byproducts, including metal fumes and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Therefore, ensuring the laser welding safety of operators and maintaining compliance with environmental regulations is paramount in these applications.
The Imperial Systems Inc. Air-Port Fume Exhaust Hood
Imperial Systems Inc. is a renowned leader in designing and manufacturing air pollution control equipment, including high-quality fume extraction systems. The engineering of the Air-Port Hood specifically addresses the challenges associated with laser welding applications. It offers a comprehensive solution for fume capture and operator safety. The hood also has an optional enclosure that will reduce the chances of exposure to unprotected bystanders in laser welding applications.
Here are some key features and benefits of the Air-Port Fume Exhaust Hood:
Effective Fume Capture: The Air-Port Hood is designed to efficiently capture smoke and fumes at the source, ensuring a cleaner and healthier work environment. Its strategically placed hood openings and airflow patterns effectively contain emissions.
Modular Design: The Air-Port Hood’s modular design allows for easy customization and integration into existing laser welding setups. This flexibility ensures that it can adapt to various welding configurations and sizes.
Safety Compliance: Imperial Systems Inc. understands the importance of compliance with safety and environmental regulations. The Air-Port Hood is designed to help companies meet these requirements by efficiently capturing and filtering emissions. With the optional enclosure and other laser safety equipment with laser-compliant window panels, the Air-Port can also reduce laser radiation in a manufacturing facility.
Operator Comfort: The Air-Port Hood is engineered to enhance operator comfort by reducing exposure to harmful fumes and smoke. This, in turn, improves productivity and operator well-being while elevating laser welding safety.
Durability: Built to withstand the rigors of industrial environments, the Air-Port Hood is constructed from high-quality materials, ensuring longevity and reliability.
Improve Laser Welding Safety and Compliance in Your Shop
Laser welding is a cutting-edge technology that offers numerous benefits, but it comes with the challenge of managing laser exposure and fumes and ensuring operator safety. The Imperial Systems Inc. Air-Port Hood is a valuable solution for companies looking to enhance safety and compliance in their laser welding applications.
The Air-Port Hood protects both workers and the environment by reducing laser reflection and capturing and controlling fumes and smoke at the source. Its modular design, operator comfort features, and cost-efficiency make it a standout choice for businesses seeking a comprehensive solution to laser welding safety concerns.
Investing in the Air-Port Hood from Imperial Systems Inc. demonstrates a commitment to both safety and sustainability, allowing companies to enjoy the benefits of laser welding technology while ensuring the well-being of their workforce and the environment.
In this episode of the Dusty Jobs Podcast, Donovan talks to the Owner and CEO of Imperial Systems, Jeremiah Wann. Jeremiah mentions what is new in the booth this year for Fabtech and also what the forecast of industry looks like. Donovan and Jeremiah also discuss new marketing videos being released and the amazing people featured in them.
Narrator: Welcome to the Dusty Jobs podcast from Imperial Systems. Industry knowledge to make your job easier and safer.
Donovan: Hello and welcome to another episode of the Dusty Job podcast. We’re still at Fabtech and today we’re talking with Jeremiah Wann, the owner of Imperial Systems. How you doing Jeremiah?
Jeremiah: I’m doing well. It is still Fabtech.
Donovan: Still Fabtech. We’re still here.
Jeremiah: Day two.
Donovan: How are you holding up?
Jeremiah: Doing good. You know you get a little tired but it’s good you know. Just nonstop talking the whole time.
Donovan: It is. But that’s good. There’s been a lot of people here. Seems like a very popular show this year. It’s great to see a lot of people coming back after kind of the years we had with with COVID and now it’s really a lot of people are showing up and it’s exciting.
Jeremiah: Yeah I didn’t know what to expect. I’ve talked to several companies in industry. Some of the kind of the leading you know larger laser companies and just seeing how things are going. You know, kind of gauging their you know their attendance and their sales and they’ve all had good things to say. So they’re all saying they’re still selling lasers. Customers are positive. They’re still buying stuff so we’re pretty hopeful things look good.
Donovan: Yeah so with that you know we’re here. We got a couple new things in our booth. A couple cool things we got going on and yeah I mean tell us about that tell us about where you’re gonna see what’s that’s new here when you come to the Imperial booth.
Jeremiah: Well well first thing when you come to our booth you may or may not see an alien in our booth.
Donovan: That’s true.
Jeremiah: That’s kind of a big deal. You know, this year we decided to do something a little different. We started a video series called Sparks of Creation. It’s a four-part video series but what we’re trying to do really is you know not so much try to promote our product which I know is a strange concept but just really try to highlight people that are passionate about the the welding industry in general and just just to kind of say you know kind of a little nod to people that are out there actually in the trenches doing welding day-to-day and you know kind of really getting down and getting dirty with like you know the the kind of the heart and soul of this industry which is welding right right? So, you know Jen Phillips was the one that we selected to do our first video with and she’s from Canada. I, Saskatchatoon I think is how you say it. Kind of up there in northern Canada and it’s just been fun. We visited with her for two days her and her husband now they’ve been here and she’s showcasing her work. She’s got an alien here that’s really a cool piece and then we commissioned her to make an eagle for us.
Donovan: It’s awesome. It’s beautiful. Yeah.
Jeremiah: It’s cool. It’s like a baby eagle so like it’s smaller. It’s not like a full-size eagle but I think they’re called what do they call it? Eaglets?
Donovan: Sure. Yeah.
Jeremiah: So it’s like an eaglet. It’s very beautiful.
Donovan: Yeah it is. It’s cool. If you got a big one there wouldn’t be a lot of space to put it so.
Jeremiah: Yeah a big eagle would probably be as big as me. Yeah I don’t want that.
Donovan: Yeah so it’s perfect for displaying.
Jeremiah:Yeah but anyway so we’re doing that. That’s in the booth. Our newest product is the you know the Air-Port edition. We’ve had the Air-Port for a few years now and I’ve got a lot of attention at Fabtech with it. The Air-Port is a modular weld hood with an integrated duct into it. So it’s the first ever of its kind to have that feature where the ducting is in there. You got a built-in spark trap in there. Adjustable dampers. Arched top to it. Just a beautiful hood. I mean aesthetically it’s amazing. It fits in and over robot very easily. The one thing that you know kind of customers were saying is you know we need it to fit to the safety screen with the weld curtain and that. We can never match that up perfectly you know so there’s always like a little transition piece or whatever and didn’t look neat. So we’re like –
Donovan: Now the original Air-Port, it came with curtains. You could get curtains on it. But people are asking for more than that.
Jeremiah: Well yeah I mean the curtains are nice but they kind of look messy and you know and you know you know me I mean I want things nice and neat.
Donovan: That’s true.
Jeremiah: And orderly and so we said why don’t we just build our own screen. So the new the new screen I’m going to call it a screen. It’s more of a panel system. But it’s cool man.
Donovan: I mean I know it definitely has a higher safety factor on it.
Jeremiah: Oh way more. Yeah.
Donovan: Like looking at here as opposed to a curtain where you could just walk through it. This has a very high safety factor on it. You’re not – you have to be very intentional about entering the same space as the robot.
Jeremiah: Oh yeah. I mean you’re definitely not going to walk through it. This one has clear acrylic panels on it. We did it for the show. The ones you would buy and put in your place you know would be a UV rated either a blue or a red panel. But yeah it’s pretty amazing. It’s got our signature crowns on it. It’s very easy to install. Yeah. So I mean it’s pretty cool. So yeah I’m pretty happy about it.
Donovan: Yeah. And we have it here actually working with our Shadow unit.
Jeremiah: Yeah with the smoke with the smoke machine.
Donovan: Yeah. And it’s it’s what’s what’s crazy is we’re sitting three feet, four feet away from the Shadow. I can barely even hear it where we’re at.
Jeremiah: It’s quiet. It purrs. The smoke machine that we added to it’s kind of cool. It you know it’s a good just a visual to see like how well it evacuates the smoke. And you can put a ton of smoke out of the machine. So like you know it really shows you know it shows it’s doing a good job.
Donovan: So if there’s a person in there working with a robot or a person that’s in there welding it’s going to it’s going to do a great job doing what our company’s about. And that’s you know making a healthier safer work environment for people so they can go home better every day to their families.
Jeremiah: Yeah for sure. Yeah. So no it’s it’s been good. A huge amount of response from it already. Everybody’s kind of taking pictures of it looking at it. I mean we’ve we’ve already quoted several of them and I think it’s going to be I think it’s going to be a winner. So anything new? What else did I miss?
Donovan: Well it’s it’s nothing nothing new but we still have a lot of our good products. CMAXX is here. Rhino Drum is here.
Jeremiah: All the Filtration line. That’s kind of new because you know this year we brought the filtration booth back to this hall. We had them in the fabrication hall last year and it was good but the main reason we wanted to bring them back was because you know we’re kind of like we wanted our whole crew together. So I think that’s been better. You know so I don’t know it’s pretty exciting. And the filtration line is going really well.
Donovan: It’s doing great. Yeah. It’s great. So it’s it’s really great for us to be able to have that in-house. We have that quality and assurance over our own filters so we can make sure we’re just we’re just putting the best product out there like we do with everything else that that we have here at Imperial.
Jeremiah: Yeah for sure.
Donovan: So when we’re talking about the Sparks of Creation, are we going to have more videos coming out on that?
Jeremiah: Yeah we have another one in the pipeline right now that we’re about ready to release. You know a little little teaser on that. That’s Steve Bunyard from ReIgnite Hope and I think I think some people have seen some of the initial videos on that and you know he he basically started a mission called ReIgnite Hope on Skid Row. You know essentially what he was doing was he is a pastor you know trying to minister to those people on Skid Row and what he was doing is they were they would you know give them money give them food give them clothes you know try to help them but they would notice that like no matter what they did they would just end up back on the streets again. So you know his thing was is like you know after praying about it and trying to figure out what the best thing to do was you know he for whatever reason welding came to his mind he’s like what if we taught these people how to weld. Well he didn’t know how to weld but he found people that did. He cast the vision. They started to train people off Skid Row how to weld and now they’re certifying them within several weeks helping them get jobs and transforming their life. So he says I’m teaching them about Jesus and jobs. So like I mean Steve’s an awesome guy and you’re gonna see a new video coming from him here pretty soon.
Donovan: If you’re really interested in hearing more about Steve and what they’re doing over at Reignite Hope we did podcasts with him about a year ago so if you go back to last season yeah you can listen to that and Steve really gets into the details of how right they got started and where they’re at. They’re just continuing to grow and help and bless people with not just helping them with today but helping them change their life so that they can continue to be you know live a good life right not just not just giving you a meal but giving them – what do they say – teach a man to fish yeah he eats forever. So that’s that’s kind of that mantra.
Jeremiah: No he’s great and so and how Imperial Systems is involved with him is what we’ve decided to do is every mobile weld semi-trailer that they build we will supply a Shadow for every single one – the Shadow the ductwork the whole thing we take care of that as a donation to him and we’re going to continue to support his ministry for as long as he does it. I teased him yesterday I said I hope you’re not too successful because this could get expensive but you know no and in reality I hope they’re really successful and transform a lot of lives.
Donovan: Yeah that’s great so that those people can learn and learn in a healthy and safe environment where they’re doing that. That’s great. Well thanks for coming on. Thanks for giving us a minute Jeremiah. We appreciate it and if you guys are around this year at Fabtech, next year at Fabtech stop in. Say hi to us.
Jeremiah: Yeah come see us.
Donovan: See our artwork. See our new products.
Jeremiah: Yeah, it’s a fun booth this year I really like it it’s one of my favorites.
Donovan: It’s been a good time. Well until next time stay healthy and stay safe. Thanks for listening.
Jeremiah: Thank you Donovan.
Narrator: Thanks for listening to the Dusty Jobs podcast. Breathe better, work safer.
In this episode we meet back with Beau from Weld.com. We had Beau on the Podcast last year at Fabtech and we were able to talk to him again this year. Last year Beau told us about the Weld.com App where you can go and learn how to weld with tutorials and find a job. This year he talks with Donovan about expanding a video series about welding applications and really showing what all there is in the unending world of welding.
Narrator: Welcome to the Dusty Jobs podcast from Imperial Systems. Industry knowledge to make your job easier and safer.
Donovan: Hello, welcome to another episode of the Dusty Jobs Podcast. We are still here at Fabtech again, but we have a friend from Fabtech back visiting us again this year, Beau from Weld.com. How’s it going?
Beau: You can find it anywhere. Anywhere you like listening to podcasts, we’re there.
Donovan: Everywhere?
Beau: Everywhere.
Donovan: Everywhere.
Beau: Except Stitcher, ’cause it doesn’t exist anymore. Did you hear about that?
Donovan: It doesn’t exist anymore?
Beau: Yeah, they got rid of Stitcher.
Donovan: Really?
Beau: Yeah.
Donovan: That’s, okay, well.
Beau: See, you learn something new every podcast.
Donovan: That’s right, learn it here.
Beau: Yeah.
Donovan: So, we were talking before this a little bit about how Weld.com is starting to do some new stuff. They’re shifting their direction a little bit. So let’s talk about what you guys used to do first, like where you guys were and then where you’re going.
Beau: Okay, so Weld.com, I love Weld.com ’cause when I was learning how to weld, it was an awesome resource because like, if there was a test or a process that I didn’t know much about, I had a video, I had a tutorial. But that’s the thing is like we have it. Like, Weld.com’s been around for since 2012, I believe.
Donovan: Okay, yeah.
Beau: So there’s a lot of information out there.
Donovan: Like a full library of back knowledge.
Beau: Yeah, and we talked last year about the Weld app that we put out.
Donovan: Right.
Beau: So the Weld app has an even more, like we have all that educational knowledge that you would want, you know? And so now, you know, I getting further to the industry I was like I want to see real world applications you know it’s like I want to see I want to see where this filler metal is made or I want to see how to repair something in person and so like that’s what we’ve started doing like I just visited Ivan Iler he’s a sculptor he was on the show Metal Shop Masters. I went up. We spent a day with him and his shop kind like talking about the process of being a sculptor and I helped him put a branch on this tree that we made together. And then the next day there was a scrap metal art festival. Like that was another reason I was up there. And so we talked to all the different builders that were there. We talked to the people that own the scrapyard that sponsors the event. Learned about like that industry. And but we’re just trying to do stuff that like gives you a better understanding of pathways because that’s what is missing in my opinion.
Donovan: Yeah, because it’s because you guys have education but now you guys are getting into application.
Beau: Yes, well that’s what it feels like people want. Like, they want a real-world application of like how do I – Austin Hargett, Dr. Weldz, he is like our main man dude out there explaining stuff these days and he just went there was a roller coaster that people needed a crack repaired on.
Donovan: I’m sure somebody wanted that fixed.
Beau: Oh, yeah. You probably want to get your cracks on your rollercoasters fixed as soon as possible. But yeah, he went and he repaired it showed you you know the steps of like let’s do testing to see how bad it is. All right let’s clean it out and do another layer of inspection of actually grinding away and seeing what the crack like how far it spread. But it’s not staged because like he gets halfway through this like cleaning out and he starts he found a drill bit and like a hole. The repair needed to happen because it was not done correctly so he showed you like how to fix all those things but that’s like something you can’t find in a book you know and but it also is more about showing where you can go with welding not just like how to weld. It’s like what what can I be like what kind of welder can I be.
Donovan: Right because we’ve got a lot of young people now. They’re looking to come into the field of welding to come into the industry and you know there are things out there that you know my guidance counselor never told me I could be a roller coaster repairman you know but but that’s what a welder is. A welder I can go out there and they can fix a lot of things and do a lot of things and it’s not just going to the auto body shop and welding the same seam every day anymore. There’s a lot more out there. That’s awesome that you guys are doing that.
Beau: I mean, I just want people to see see how expansive the industry is, you know. It’s like you don’t have to be XY or Z like when I was getting trained they’re like you can be this this this I was like no no no no. There’s got to be more than that. And so, you know, there’s laser welding you can work on spaceship. You can go work underwater. You can go work on ship vessels. Like there’s non-stop applications for welding. And that’s what makes for a great YouTube channel, you know. It’s like you never have a like you’re not gonna run out of ideas when it’s an endless field. You know, we can never know everything about welding. So let’s try. Like, let’s see how close we could get.
Donovan: When you say endless fields, I mean just walking around the show here. You can see how the industry it’s not getting smaller. It’s growing and there’s new things that people are coming up with that they’re innovating, that that there’s new applications in this every day and with jobs coming back – onshoring, there’s gonna be even more of a need for people to get in this field and learn more about how they can can help.
Beau: Yeah, and even like manufacturing is coming back. Like a lot of manufacturing and trying to bring… like making things. Like steel. Steel is a very big thing that we don’t make a ton of over here in America, except for the scrap industry. Like we make more out of recycled materials than like actually foundries, you know? So it’s like, but everyone was like, oh, we’ve been outsourcing all this different stuff. Like, and now we don’t have anything when the supply chain breaks down, you know? It’s like everything that went down during the pandemic, it really opened up everyone’s eyes of like, we should probably keep some stuff here in case we need it, you know?
Donovan: And that’s bringing more opportunity for people to come into these fields. And they’re good jobs.
Beau: Yeah.
Donovan: Yeah. It’s not like low paying. It’s not, you know what I mean? If you have a little bit of common sense and a little bit of work ethic, you can make it in this industry, make a good living at it.
Beau: Okay, say you’re not the greatest welder, you know? It’s like if you’re not the greatest welder and that’s what’s like stopping you from trying to chase your dream, be a salesman. Be a technician. Like there’s so many jobs in the welding world that need to be filled and if you know how to weld or even have basic welding knowledge like you’re qualified for jobs that pay you way more than the ones you’re probably looking at on Indeed, you know? It’s like the jobs where – the easy jobs to find there’s more out there like if you just do a little digging. Like the Weld app – another plug, sorry.
Donovan: That’s why you’re here.
Beau: So the Weld app, we do have a job board too. Like you companies can post their jobs but as a welder you can post yourself on there saying I’m qualified to do all these different things. This is how far I’ll travel and this is how much I would like to get paid. So it’s like there’s that aspect.
Donovan: That’s a really cool platform for for that. Yeah.
Beau: It’s all about just trying to help you know. Like we just want to help people be able to learn more. Help people get the jobs that they’re looking for because that’s what people ask about all the time is like how can I get a job you know? It’s like where do I go to get a job? It’s like, just look. Like, they’re there. They’re out there.
Donovan: They’re out there. That’s great. So is there is there anything else that’s coming up in the future are you guys just gonna continue down this path?
Beau: We’re continuing down the path man. Like we’re restructuring the content. Trying to be out and about. Show behind the scenes more and just want to hear what people think you know. It’s like so far we’ve gotten a really good response of being like no yeah this is this is what we want to see. We want to see more of this real world stuff.
Donovan: Nice so if you want to see more of this information, see the scrap festival, things like that you can go on to –
Beau: On the Weld.com
Donovan:YouTube or find out on Weld.com
Beau: Yeah.
Donovan: Oh that’s great. So thanks for giving us a couple minutes to tell us what’s going on with you guys. We appreciate it.
Beau: What’s going on with you?
Donovan: Not much. We’re here at Fabtech. We’re showing, you know, trying to just help people stay healthy when you’re welding with your, you know, lung safety and trying to make a better work environment for people who are getting in this industry so they can be doing it for a long time and stay healthy while they’re doing it.
Beau: That’s the way to do it. That’s a great thing. I love, your industry is one of my favorites. Being a musician and singer, it’s like I’m very conscious about my lungs and my throat so like I appreciate what y’all do.
Donovan: Yeah, yeah. So that’s it. You know, just trying to help people get home healthier their families every night. We can do it.
Beau: Sweet.
Donovan: Well thanks for coming on like I said and you know you guys can check us out on YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok. So I’m sure you guys are on all those platforms too.
Beau: Oh, yeah.
Donovan: Go to over to Weld.com. Check out both stuff, and until the next time, stay healthy and stay safe.
Narrator: Thanks for listening to the Dusty Jobs podcast. Breathe better, work safer.
We were able to sit down with Jen Phillips a metal artist at the Fabtech Convention for metal fabrication. Jen was able to share about how she got started in welding and sculptures. She also was able to talk about this pieces she had for viewing at the Imperial Systems booth. She also talked about an exciting new commission with Black Rifle Coffee Company.
Narrator: Welcome to the Dusty Jobs podcast from Imperial Systems. Industry knowledge to make your job easier and safer.
Donovan: Hello and welcome to another Dusty Jobs podcast. We’re live at Fabtech this year. This year we have Jen Phillips as our resident artist, I guess, this year at Fabtech. We have a couple of your pieces in the booth. Thanks for coming and helping us out.
Jen: Yeah, thanks for having me.
Donovan: It’s been an exciting show. So if you hear some noise or you see some people in the background, it’s ’cause we’re live. We’re live here at the show. But Jen, tell me a little bit about yourself. How did you get in touch with Imperial Systems? Did we reach out to you? Is that right?
Jen: Yeah so I believe it was Erin who found me on social media maybe. Instagram or TikTok kind of maybe seen one of my videos and found it interesting I guess. She’d probably seen that I was in the archery too. I know Jeremiah, owner of Imperial, is a big bow hunter so maybe that you know helped her get a hold of me.
Donovan: That’s awesome. That’s awesome. So we had you make a piece for us, right?
Jen: That’s right, yeah. So the eagle, it’s in the booth today, actually.
Donovan: So you’re watching the video, it’s a little picture of it there, but I’m sure we have some pictures.
Jen: Yeah, there’s some pictures online for sure.
Donovan: It looks awesome. It’s great.
Jen: Thank you so much. It’s cool to have a few pieces here at Fabtech for people to see in person, right? ‘Cause it’s so different than seeing a picture online versus real life.
Donovan: But you haven’t always been like a sculptor, right? You started out welding in a totally different field. Am I right on that?
Jen: Yeah, yeah, most of my welding career. So I actually just got into like art sculpture of like four years ago, three and a half years ago. So it’s fairly new to me. Yeah, I started out oil field fabrication in high school. I got a job at a fab shop. So yeah, stick welding, mig welding, lots of structural steel.
Donovan: Okay, so you’re in high school. You’re there. Did you have a family connection or was this just something you were interested in on your own? Did you go to trade school? How did that happen?
Jen: So my stepdad worked oil field my entire life. Yeah, my parents got remarried when I was three, so my dad, I guess, called him. But yeah, so I mean, I think there always has to be a little bit of a connection, ’cause right for a young girl to get into welding and stuff. So yeah, I think just watching his success in the industry kind of persuaded me to want to get into a trade. I didn’t really know either what I wanted to do. I wasn’t ready to choose a career. I know a lot of girls, they know they want to be a nurse or a teacher and I just didn’t really know, so I figured the trade would be a good route, make some money. The schooling is a lot shorter, so it’s kind of less of a commitment, I guess. So yeah, I got a job at the fab shop and fell in love with welding. Like the first time I tried it, I loved it.
Donovan: So what were you guys building at that fab shop?
Jen: So it was a lot of pipe fabrication. So like tacking and welding pipe modules together to send to the compressor stations. I did a lot of structural seal. So pipe saddles and supports, repads. So kind of a little bit of everything in the shop.
Donovan: Yeah, that’s great. Now were you the, I’m gonna ask this, were you the only lady in the shop or were there other ladies?
Jen: Yeah, I was the only lady welder. I know they did get a few over the years, like pipefitters, but as far as women welders, yeah. Lucky me, hey, you’re the only one.
Donovan: Well, I’m gonna ask for the other ladies that are out there thinking about getting into trade. Tell me about that experience. What was it like being a lady welder with a bunch of other guys?
Jen: So obviously very intimidating. I think my age too, right? You’re 16, 17 years old, and most of the men are like quite a bit older than you. Yeah, so it’s very intimidating, but I mean the biggest advice I have would just be like hard work. I think men or women, everyone appreciates good work ethic. So, I mean, you might have to prove yourself a little more than the guys, but once you do, the payoff is worth it.
Donovan: Do you feel like you got to a point where you were just another welder, it didn’t feel like you were–
Jen: One of the boys?
Donovan: Or did you always feel like, I don’t know.
Jen: Absolutely, yeah, I think, I mean, it took a little bit. I was very lucky though, because my brother was also, he was a pipe fitter. So like a lot of that, when I did go work in the field, I was like working with my brother on a job. And my dad was probably up there. I had an uncle. So our family was very involved, you know, oil field. So I was very fortunate to have, you know, my brother looking out for me to learn from him.
Donovan: Well, that’s good. Sometimes working with family can be a nightmare. It’s great to know.
Jen: Yeah, I mean, it can go either way for sure.
Donovan: Yeah, I think if I was working with a lot of white siblings, they’d probably be kicking me in the ditch or something.
Jen: It wouldn’t go very well.
Donovan: That’s good, that’s good. So okay, so then you’re working in that. What caused you to, what was the catalyst to this transition from doing that work? Did you just make a shift or was it like a gradual, like you started dabbling into it? How did you go from one to the other? –
Jen: Yeah, so kind of by fluke, it’s not like I woke up one day and was like, I’m an artist, yeah. It didn’t go like that. I got pregnant, had my daughter, Ellie, and you know, working out of town wasn’t a very good option. There wasn’t a ton of work in town. And I mean, for like a new mom and, you know, a lot of jobs aren’t accommodating of a family life.
Donovan: So when you say in town, I didn’t even ask, where are you from?
Jen: Okay, so I’m originally from Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta. Yeah, so, I mean, there was some jobs, just 10 hour days, six days a week is very tough for a new mom. So that’s kind of when the idea sparked in my head, like maybe, you know, I could start my own thing. My original plan was nothing to do with art. I was going to do like table legs, tables, benches, shelving, like stuff like that out of my garage.
Donovan: Like a very functional piece.
Jen: Yeah, but at the same time I was very undecided. I had Ellie and then four months after that I went and got my B Pressure, like pipe welding ticket actually. So I’m like certified to be pipe welder, but then I fell into the art thing. So yeah, I started welding like again, table bases, benches in the garage, making some money on the side. And then I got had a couple requests to do like small pieces of art and I had no art experience.
Donovan: What was the first thing you did?
Jen: The very first thing I did was a little bird made out of like utensils so I just yeah super random. I made it for my grandpa actually so it came together and I’m like oh that’s kind of fun. Posted online and then got like quite a few more requests so I think it was just gradual I would get requests I didn’t turn anything down ever. Like I took on every single job that came in and I didn’t know who I could do it. Right. I’ve never done it before. I have no art background. So completely winging it to that.
Donovan: Which is probably great because it’s helped you, I would imagine, develop your own style, your own technique, the way you do it as opposed to being taught a way to do it. You kind of have your way of doing it.
Jen: Yeah, I think if I did go to school at this point, like art school, it might even like mess me up a little bit just because I do things how I do them. So yeah, I think commissions kept coming in and more and more of them and then they were just getting bigger and bigger and like even now this past year has been crazy as far as growth and learning because I take on these jobs that are like way over my head. I just kind of have to figure it out along the way.
Donovan: But like you said you just you just work hard.
Jen: Yeah. Yeah. It’s trial and error but lots of hard work and long hours, but it’s worth it when you pull something off, right? You’re like, “Holy shit, how did I do that?”
Donovan: So what’s your favorite piece you’ve done so far?
Jen: Ooh, that’s a tough one. That alien was the hardest thing I’ve done so far, so that might have to be my favorite.
Donovan: So you’re talking about this alien. So everyone who’s just listening, describe this alien. And they could go see it on what? What’s your social media?
Donovan: Yeah. I’m a little slow. I got to say things a couple times.
Jen: I wasn’t getting that but now.
Donovan: Okay so this alien, I mean this is big, this is like a four foot statue. It’s an alien busting out of the top of a spaceship. He’s got a mic in his hand. He kind of has this kind of a snarky look on his face.
Jen: Yeah, a smirk.
Donovan: Yeah, yeah, like he’s getting ready to tell a joke.
Jen: Right. Yeah and I think that’s like the hardest part about doing this kind of thing and why that What was so hard is the animals, like you need to give them an expression, but this is like, I really was going for a certain look. So it’s one thing to like build something, but to give it life and give it a look on its face.
Donovan: Or an expression or a feeling.
Jen: Yeah, that’s the hard part. I mean, it’s people are like, how did you do that? It’s just welding for me, ’cause I’m just a simple welder. I just weld and grind and weld and grind, and I keep doing that until it turns out. It’s really not that hard.
Donovan: Don’t tell anybody that. –
Jen: It’s not that complicated. Yeah, anyone can do it.
Donovan: So you’re saying it’s not that complicated. So if someone else is looking at your stuff and says, “Man, I’d like to give this a try.” What would be some tips you would give to anybody who is out there and saying, “Man, I just wanna start trying something like this.”
Jen: My advice would just be to go for it, right? I mean, of course there’s some doubts. I’ll get a commission opportunity and there’s some doubt in my mind, can I do this? I think just go for it. You won’t know. And I can think about a project and try and plan it out, ‘How am I going to do it’ for a week. But it’s really just getting in the shop and trying it out. And if it doesn’t work, try again, right? Yeah, I think just go for it.
Donovan: So just go to Harbor Freight, buy a welder, get some metal.
Jen: I mean, OK. So when I say easy, I guess I already have the welding. Because that’s the huge part. I’ve had over 10 years of welding experience.
Donovan: That’s true.
Jen: Okay, for me, maybe it’s not that easy. I take it. First you need to go to welding school, learn how to weld.
Donovan: Go to welding, it’s easy. Just go to welding school, be a pipe fitter, get certified.
Jen: 10 years of experience.
Donovan: 10 years of experience.
Jen: Honestly, yeah, I think for what I do, I use my knowledge of what I’ve learned in the oil field industry. And a lot of my, as a welding apprentice, I did a ton of grinding on metal, right? And that’s half of my stuff, is learning how to work metal, form metal. So it’s, even though I don’t have art background, I guess, like for me, it’s learning about how to work with metal and polished metal. So, okay, it’s not anybody to do it.
Donovan: Yeah, I mean, metal, it’s its own medium. It’s its own piece. And knowing how something’s gonna react when you put it together, how it’s gonna react when you start grinding on it.
Jen: Yeah, I think too, like essentially for me, it’s a bit challenging, ’cause you’re trying to do with metal like what you would do with clay. Really, essentially, right? Like, it’s, yeah, it’s except harder because clay, you already have the big piece and you’re taking off. This is like you’re adding metal.
Donovan: Put your thumbs into it and make it do what you want. You gotta like–
Jen: You can’t just wipe off your mistakes.
Donovan: Right, you gotta like get in there.
Jen: Hours and hours of grinding and rewelding. But I love it. Yeah.
Donovan: So what do you think– what’s coming up? Do you have anything you’re excited about? Do you have something in your mind that you just are going to be making?
Jen: Yeah. I have a couple of really cool jobs coming up this year, this year, next year. Have you guys heard of Black Rifle Coffee Company?
Donovan: Yes. Yeah. I know.
Jen: I’m going to be doing like Tactisquatch, so the big Sasquatch. Yeah, so I’m really excited for that. Again, it’s going to be very challenging for me. But those are the ones where you learn the most and you grow the most when you’re challenging yourself. So yeah, I’m really excited to take that on.
Donovan: So if anybody out there is listening and they want to see that, get on your Instagram, start following you.
Jen: Yeah, start following me. I’m pretty good about uploading the process because I think– I mean, people can look at that, but it’s really interesting for people to see how it came together, right?
Donovan: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That’s it.
Jen: 100%. Right. Pretty interesting.
Donovan: That’s awesome. And we’ll put some links in this video, in this podcast to your stuff. So anybody who’s interested can go. And then, yeah, just metal. I’m going to read it off the card so I don’t mess it up. It’s on MetalMonkeyDesignCo.com. That’s you. So you can go there and see everything you got going on. And you’re still open to people want to commission work.
Jen: Absolutely. Yeah, I got some commissions open for next year. So hit me up a few you want something done
Donovan: Get in on this level because it’s only going to get more expensive from here?
Jen: Yeah, we hope so.
Donovan: We gotta get those Christmas gifts. We gotta take care of take care of the kids get the college funds.
Jen: That’s right
Donovan: Well, hey, thanks for coming out we really appreciate having you at the show everybody. Thanks for listening You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat… no, not Snapchat. Sorry. TikTok.
Jen: What is a dust collection company upload on a Snapchat?
Donovan: I don’t think we do. I think we do TikTok. We have a TikTok now.
Jen: Okay.
Donovan: So, but yeah, follow us on all those. And until the next time we get to talk, stay healthy and stay safe.
Narrator: Thanks for listening to the Dusty Jobs podcast. Breathe better, work safer.
